The UB Post-Mongolia's Independent English Newspaper

Under-five mortality rate has been reduced rapidly in Mongolia over the past decade. The current under-five mortality rate per 1,000 live births is 43, which was 109 in 1990. Mongolia is pursuing Millennium Development Goals (MDG) set by the United Nations to reduce the rate by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015.

The mortality rate was more than halved between 1990 and 2000, a rate which puts Mongolia well on track to achieving the MDG target by 2015, according to UNICEF’s National Report on Mongolia.
However, the country has made progress in improving the survival rates and health of children would require additional efforts to decrease urban and rural disparities, improve living conditions, parental education, and promote reproductive health.
In western province of Bayan-Olgii, under-five mortality remains a serious concern for particular ethnic group of the region. The rate is also higher in suburban areas due to the lack of access to clean water, basic sanitary facilities, and knowledge of appropriate feeding and child caring practices.

Main causes of under-five mortality are respiratory diseases, diarrhea, asphyxia, low birth weight, short spacing between births and the young age of mothers.
“Around 60 percent of children died under age of five in Mongolia had pathogenic reason mostly. Also the parents lack of health care of children and shortage of infant doctors are the reason to be considered,” said G.Soyolgerel, child health official at the Scientific Research Center Hospital of Infant and Maternity of Ulaanbaatar.
Mongolia has a relatively effective system for providing assistance and services to children and the level of female education is high. There is no tradition of sexual discrimination of children with respect to education, health or nutrition.
“Child mortality is a sensitive indicator of a country’s development and telling evidence of its priorities and values. Investing in the health of children and their mothers is not only a human rights imperative, it is a sound economic decision and one of the surest ways for a country to set its course towards a better future.” State of the World’s Children 2008 said.

“Mongolia has very good potentials to reduce the rate by promoting breastfeeding, maintain mass vaccination of children, maintain good supply of vitamin A and nutrition,” said Ann Veneman, UNICEF’s country director in Mongolia.
Sierra Leone, a West African country torn by major armed conflict since 1989, is ranked top with the under-five mortality rate of 270 per 1,000 live births. Sweden and Singapore are ranked in the 189th, having the least rate of under-five mortality rate of 3 per 1,000 live births.